Circus Horses in Art

While I’m not a huge fan of traveling circuses I don’t feel as bad about enjoying a little art on the subject. Perhaps the most interesting part about these pieces is the sort of surreal point of view they all seem to take.

Art of All Types

In most of these images the horses are grand and handsome figures & I’m guessing (hoping anyway) that some of the original circuses were proud of their animals & took great care of them.

While most of these paintings seem to reflect that idea, artists have also been known to be great salesmen…

Circus Rider – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Title Unknown – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Equestrienne at the Cirque Fernando – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

The Circus – George Wesley Bellows

The Circus – Georges Seurat

At the Circus, Horse and Monkey Dressage – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

The Stray

Out of all of these circus images, perhaps the most honest one is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec whose viewpoint is more twisted than surreal. If you like these, be sure to check out a huge variety of horse art in our art section.